Moma Liangshan

Chapter 221 Coercion and Enticement, the Ultimate New Wealth

The twenty tribes of the Khitan were not naturally formed tribes, but rather administrative units used by the Liao Dynasty to manage the nomadic peoples of the north. Each tribal chief was equivalent to a prefectural governor. During the reign of Emperor Taizu of Liao, the strength of the tribes was not significantly different, but two hundred years later, a hierarchy had emerged, with the strong becoming stronger and the weak becoming weaker. Among the twenty tribes, the Tieli tribe was the strongest, with approximately 18,000 men, while the Chishan tribe was the weakest, with only 2,000 men. The Rilian tribe was slightly stronger than the Chishan tribe, with approximately 4,000 men. Because even the strongest tribe, the Tieli, only had 18,000 men, far from enough to challenge the authority of the central court, the tribal chiefs, though harboring their own ambitions and passively preparing for war, never dared to establish independent rule.

Yelü Xinilie's warhorse stopped five paces away from the King of Rilian. Looking down at the King, he said with a forced smile, "I am truly flattered that Your Majesty has personally come out to greet me!" The King of Rilian, of course, could not miss the sarcasm in Yelü Xinilie's words. He immediately knelt on one knee and said, "When Your Highness Zhao passed by the Rilian camp earlier, I was dealing with urgent matters, hence my slight delay!" Yelü Xinilie sneered and said, "I suddenly wonder, are the thousands of people of the Rilian tribe welcoming me, or bidding me farewell?" The King of Rilian hurriedly replied, "Your Majesty, I have already ordered the slaughter of cattle and sheep, awaiting Your Highness Zhao's arrival!" Looking at the sea of ​​heads, Yelü Xinilie clenched his fists inwardly and slowly said, "Lead the way!" The King of Rilian, as if granted a pardon, hurriedly rose and said, "Your Highness Zhao, please!" He then personally led Yelü Xinilie's horse.

Upon arriving at the central command tent, Cao Hong, disguised as Yelü Xinilie's personal guard, followed him inside. Yelü Xinilie, who had first served as the garrison commander of Xijing and later as the head of the Great Compassionate Division, was already a master of managing subordinates. He immediately rebuked, "Do you and your son know your crime?" King Rilian was caught off guard and, in shock, knelt down, hurriedly protesting his innocence, saying, "Your humble servant commands only four thousand weak troops. We have the heart to serve our country, but no strength to defend against the enemy!" Yelü Xinilie did not stop there, continuing, "A common man's anger can spill blood five steps away. Two hundred thousand tribal troops are encamped a hundred miles away from the enemy camp. This is not a matter of being willing but unable, but rather watching from the sidelines!" Beads of sweat rolled down King Rilian's forehead, and for a moment he did not know how to respond. The young master of Rilian hurriedly said, "Your Highness, King Zhao, is wise. The 200,000 tribal troops are not cowards, but because they are leaderless, if we rashly attack, we fear they will be defeated one by one by the Jurchens!" Yelü Xini Lie remained silent, waiting for King Rilian's next statement. After the young master of Rilian finished speaking, he gently nudged his father. King Rilian suddenly realized and immediately said, "In order to defeat the powerful enemy as soon as possible, I humbly request Your Highness, King Zhao, to take command of the various tribes!" Yelü Xini Lie's lips curled slightly, and he said, "I am only the deputy envoy; Your Highness, King Qin, is the chief envoy, issuing orders. I cannot do that!"

King Rilian deliberately said, "But this humble subject only saw His Highness Prince Zhao's royal banner, and did not see His Highness Prince Qin!" Young Master Rilian also chimed in, "The Jurchen army is at the city gates; I urge His Highness Prince Zhao to consider the greater good!" Cao Hong suddenly noticed that Yelü Xini Lie was giving him a suggestive look, so he had no choice but to continue his act, saying, "I urge Your Highness to consider the greater good and lead your army to defend the king as soon as possible!" Yelü Xini Lie feigned reluctance, saying, "Very well, for the sake of the Liao dynasty, I will presume to overstep my bounds this once!"

Having used the big stick, it was time to offer the sweet treat. Yelü Xinilie said, "Generals, please rise!" Then he asked, "When I entered the camp, I saw that the soldiers' armor was worn and tattered. What is the reason for this?" King Rilian thought to himself, "You are in charge of the Great Compassionate Division and are responsible for controlling the various tribal kings. Don't you know that the tribal army hasn't changed a single weapon for two whole years?" Although he had a thousand complaints in his heart, he could only say aloud, "The Rilian tribe is small and sparsely populated. To maintain these four thousand troops, we have already exhausted all our resources. Where would we find the money and provisions to purchase new weapons?" "Armor?" Yelü Xinilie pondered for a moment, then said, "Within ten days, I will give you five hundred swords and spears each, and within a month, I will give you six hundred sets of armor. I wonder if you and your son are satisfied?" King Rilian and the young master of Rilian nodded repeatedly, saying, "Thank you, Your Highness!" Yelü Xinilie continued, "These weapons and armor were not made by the Liao Kingdom, but provided by the Duke of Bohai. Therefore, the Duke of Bohai has made a request, and this request needs to be fulfilled by the Rilian tribe!" King Rilian inwardly groaned, saying, "Please give your instructions, Your Highness!"

Yelü Xinilie said, "The Duke of Bohai wants Mongolian horses!" King Rilian secretly breathed a sigh of relief and asked, "Only Mongolian horses?" Yelü Xinilie nodded and said, "Only Mongolian horses!" King Rilian then asked, "How many Mongolian horses does the Duke of Bohai want?" Yelü Xinilie said, "Seven hundred Mongolian horses in exchange for what I promised you." King Rilian unconsciously exclaimed, "Good!" Yelü Xinilie said with some disdain, "Right now is a time when we need capable men. I intend to cultivate you and your son." "That's why I entrusted this lucrative task to the Rilian tribe. I urge you two to seize this opportunity and not disappoint me!" The young master of Rilian preemptively replied, "Your Highness, rest assured, although the Rilian tribe only has four thousand soldiers, it has fifteen hundred cavalry, and currently has over two thousand Mongolian horses in its camp!" Upon hearing this, Cao Hong immediately said, "The Prefect of Bohai is recruiting soldiers in Shangjing. Please, Your Highness, immediately dispatch three hundred horses to the allied army camp!" Yelü Xini looked at King Rilian, who hurriedly said, "This humble subject will send my son to escort them personally!"

Yelü Xini Lie suddenly showed an envious expression and said, "I wonder what the Duke of Bohai's Wolf Legion will look like?" Cao Hong said, "If it's really as the Duke of Bohai says, I'm afraid no one will know what it will look like until the Wolf Legion is fully formed." Yelü Xini Lie frowned and said, "The Duke of Bohai doesn't know either?" Cao Hong replied, "The Duke of Bohai once said that truth comes from practice. Only by constantly improving in battle can the Wolf Legion become a true king of war!" Yelü Xini Lie said, "So he wants to use countless riches to create an unparalleled elite army?" Cao Hong shook his head and said, "The treasury of the capital is full of gold and silver, so why can't it be exchanged for sufficient armor, weapons, and provisions?" Yelü Xini Lie sighed helplessly and said, "Only now do I truly understand that mountains of gold and silver are not true wealth!" Cao Hong admired Yelü Xini Lie's enlightenment and said, "Timing, location, and people—which of these isn't more precious than gold and silver?"